Last night's episode of FYI's hit social experiment reality series "Married at First Sight" marked two weeks since the three arranged couples met as strangers and wed at the altar. Now that they've returned from their honeymoons and settled into new homes with their spouses, the next test came in the form of surviving their first holiday together. Each couple hosted Father's Day at their new homes, and the experience brought two couples closer together, while driving the other apart.
Tres Russell and Vanessa Nelson
This couple seemed to be the most successful of the three, but not without fault. Russell and Nelson confirmed that they consummated their marriage and were the first couple to reach that milestone just two weeks into the social experiment. The couple hosted Father's Day at their home and Nelson prepared a home-cooked meal for their guests, which included Russell's father, uncle and sister, as well as Nelson's sister.
The visit went smoothly as the family prayed together before their meal and played dominoes. Russell's father had a heart-to-heart with Nelson, and Nelson's sister gave Russell advice on how to get her to open up. But the couple fought the next morning because Russell went out with his father and uncle and had a few too many drinks, and Nelson felt that he isn't ready to give up partying to fully commit to marriage. After a visit from sociologist and sexologist Dr. Pepper Schwartz, they realized that they need to be clear with each other when it comes to their needs and wants in order to make it work.
Neil Bowlus and Samantha Role
The couple kept taking steps forward and backward in their relationship, and Role reached out to Dr. Schwartz to help them figure out how to be on the same page. Before Dr. Schwartz's visit, Role told Bowlus that he's two different people when he's on and off camera. With Dr. Schwartz mediating, the couple discussed their differences and Bowlus admitted that he needed to open up more, and Dr. Schwartz said Role needed to stop pushing Bowlus away.
Role's father visited the couple for Father's Day and Bowlus took his father-in-law to the shooting range where he received advice on how to move forward in his marriage. After returning to the couple's new house, Bowlus grilled a steak dinner for the three of them and Role was grateful for the way Bowlus treated her father during his visit. The next day, the couple had a heart-to-heart in their backyard, making a breakthrough in communication for the first time during the experiment. "After talking to Dr. Pepper I thought, 'Oh wow, I need to give this boy a chance to grow on me,'" Role told cameras.
David Norton and Ashley Doherty
Doherty still struggled with intimacy in her marriage to Norton, but she reached the point where she felt comfortable enough around him to share a bed, and they hosted Father's Day at their home with Norton's mother. It's a touchy holiday for Norton since his father passed away, and Doherty didn't have a relationship with her biological father so she struggled to relate. Father's Day morning was tense for the couple after Norton stormed off into the bathroom, but Doherty followed her husband and comforted him as he cried, which was the first time she took on a supportive role in their marriage. She also bonded with Norton's mother during her stay.
Even though it seemed that Doherty was taking steps to open up, Dr. Schwartz visited the couple after the holiday to their lack of emotional and physical intimacy. The couple fought afterward the visit and Norton complained that Doherty refused to open up. Conversely, Doherty complained about the pressure she felt from Norton to communicate when she had to study for a final exam for her nursing degree. Norton gave up and left the room, but he expressed his frustration in his on-camera interview, "It's difficult when you're married and you don't know what makes your wife tick."
